AHMEDABAD: Amdavadi dreams of cruising all the way to Mumbai in less than two hours have hit the fast track with both the French and the Japanese governments fiercely competing for the bullet train project.

The French national railway SNCF is already working with the Indian Railways on the techno-feasibility report for the 630-km project between Ahmedabad and Pune via Mumbai. The report is likely to be submitted to the Railway Board in mid-June.

At the same time in Tokyo, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe issued a joint statement about conducting another bullet train feasibility study on the same stretch. "The two Prime Ministers decided that the two sides will co-finance a joint feasibility study of high speed railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route," the statement said. Singh even appreciated Japan's high level of expertise in designing and implementing Shinkansen (bullet train) systems.

The Rs 60,000-crore project will be executed along the existing railway track and will be funded jointly by Gujarat and Maharashtra governments on a public-private partnership model. Currently, trains cover the 490 km between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in about seven hours but the bullet trains are expected to travel at 350 km per hour, and cover the distance one hour and 50 minutes. The railway is targeting high-end users.

The French proposal will have stoppages at Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Mumbai, Lonavala and Pune. It will have 16 cars with a target of 32 round trips. "The fares will be about 70% of air travel cost," he said. "A lot of air traffic may divert here. Though air travel time between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is less than an hour, security checks take a lot of time," says a railways official. Railway officials said the work is to start by November on Delhi-Chandigarh and Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune.

Jungle ka Badshah (Junglestan)If this goes ahead, and is actually implemented, then airlines will be very hard hit. It will create many more Vijay Mallyas. If the government keeps on building infrastructure projects like super-highways and high speed rail how will airlines make money? Who will they charge exorbitant ticket rates now? Nowadays it is becoming very tough to make money via match-fixing also.Agree (1)Disagree (4)Recommend (1)

V for vendetta (Heaven)The Biggest fear in implementing these kind of Bullet train projects is not about capital ,but it is all about the unmanned level crossing . For a train travelling at 350 kms /hour ,the biggest nightmare would be see a cool Indian crossing the unmanned level crossing with his bullock cart . Implementing such projects requires the public to stick to very strict rules & safety procedures , for any mistakes can bring about a huge loss of lives .Agree (10)Disagree (4)Recommend (3)

V for Vayu (Milkyway) replies to V for vendettaThere is a big big big difference between regular train and a bullet train. In densely populated areas bullet train tracks are protected in the form of fensing or overhead viaducts.Agree (1)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

普通铁路与高铁之间有很大不同。在人口密集的地区，高铁通常有设置栅栏或者采用高架。

Yogiraj M (mumbai) replies to V for vendettaIt wont have crossing dude --- almost entire places it would be covered with fence on both sides --- no person can be able to see the train coming while travelling at that speed he just wont have time to react so they will either build underpass or overpass for the trainAgree (3)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

Arash (Lyon, France) replies to V for vendettaThe track is elevated wherever there is a crossing and the track is also secured on both sides throughout the journey by a barbed wire. Source - TGV in FranceAgree (4)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

一旦有交叉口，高铁会走高架的，整条铁路两边还会有铁丝网保护。

Crazy Guy (Mad Hindu) replies to V for vendettaThat you dont have to worry about..One who will implement it ,will consider all these issues .

这个不用你担心，建高铁的人会把所有问题考虑进去的。

vibh (global)Go for Japan they will also give cheap loansAgree (7)Disagree (0)Recommend (0)

选日本的吧，他们还会提供低息贷款。

Satluj (Jalandhar)I hope one day sooner than later these trains will run from Jammu to Chennai, Ahmedabad to Kolkatta, and so on........Agree (12)Disagree (0)Recommend (5)

我希望总有一天，高速火车能奔跑于查馍与钦奈、阿默达巴德与加尔各答等城市之间.....

joker (circus)nothing for howrah delhi route?? Its one of the busiest and time consuming.Agree (4)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)

豪拉到德里不建吗？这是最繁忙和最耗时的线路之一。

aSDFG (ny)INDIA SHOULD GO TO CHINA FOR THIS PROJECT. THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS BETTER THAN THESE TWO, AND IMPORTANTLY IT WILL KEEP CHINA HAPPY.Agree (0)Disagree (16)Recommend (0)

印度应该去找中国修高铁，他们的技术更好，更重要地是可以讨中国开心。

Gutyghjh (NYC) replies to aSDFGWhat planet are you from? Where did the Chinese get the technology. Oh that's right..from the Japanese.Agree (4)Disagree (0)Recommend (3)

你来自哪个星球？中国人的技术从哪来的？哦，对了，从日本人那里来的。

Brown American (USA)Japan Trains are better than the French.Agree (5)Disagree (1)Recommend (0)

日本高铁比法国高铁更好。

vishal (Bangalore) replies to Brown AmericanIt is not who is better than the other, but who will get it. It looks like there is going to be a competetion between the French and Japan, but what should get priority is safety and security.Agree (2)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

关键不是谁比谁更好，而是谁会中标。看来法国和日本要来一场博弈了，安全问题应该是优先考量。

thomas (india)India has 27 states and ahuge area so why should they compete only for bombay? let them work in other areas. kashmir to kanyakumari?Agree (6)Disagree (2)Recommend (0)

印度有27个邦，领土辽阔，为什么他们只竞标孟买的线路？让他们也在其他地方修高铁，比如克什米尔到坎亚库马瑞。

【三泰虎注：坎亚库马瑞位于印度最南端】

Susheel (Chennai)It will help people to live in one city and work in other.. like the Bangalore Chennai Route.. this will help increase demand for housing as many Chennaite work in Bangalore IT industry. They can now stay in Chennai, commute to work in an hour and come back home.Agree (2)Disagree (0)Recommend (0)

Kaushik Himanshu (Ahmedabad, India) replies to Susheelyes true it will bring MUmbai closer to Ahmedabad once it is completed

对，一旦高铁完工，就能拉近孟买与阿默达巴德的距离。

Arnab Kar (jaipur)Thrilled to hear that the fastest BULLET train makers will work together in INDIA for both the projects. INCREDIBLE INDIA.Agree (1)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

真是太激动了，速度最快高铁的生产商将为了印度的高铁项目一起合作。令人难以置信的印度。

Suraksha (India)Looks great & impressieve while reading & going thro the marvelous pictures. Are we not 30 years late already? And if we start planning now, how long does it take for the first commecial run to commence? May be 10 or even 20 years. By then the concept of bullet trains could have got obsolete in every other country.Agree (4)Disagree (0)Recommend (0)

Ben (London)60,000 Crore ?!!! Are you joking? Entire country's poor people can be made overnight rich with this amount !! Bullet trains don't cost that much !!! Assuming 30 crore ppl live in abject poverty, and each of them live in a family of five, every family can be given Rs 100,000 to start a meaningful business / education / housing / farming. Another massive scandal....Agree (1)Disagree (0)Recommend (1)

Suraj (Bang)also there shd be bullet train connecting from south to north....starting from chennai to delhi via hyderabad......coz it takes almost 24 hours by train.......7hrs is very less.....bullet train is not needed for less than 10hr journey....Agree (1)Disagree (2)Recommend (1)